


Kitchen Tales

by Bliss_abri, OmegaCodex, Untitled_Ender



Series: Country Roads(Take me home) [3]
Category: Naruto, Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:54:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28761378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bliss_abri/pseuds/Bliss_abri, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmegaCodex/pseuds/OmegaCodex, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Untitled_Ender/pseuds/Untitled_Ender
Summary: Something like Natsume has to learn to cook for Naru, and they start searching for foods they like togetherNatsu: Naruto, pass me the eggsSmol Naru: here Nii-tan *pass the eggs
Relationships: Madara "Nyanko-sensei" & Natsume Takashi, Madara "Nyanko-sensei" & Uzumaki Naruto, Natsume Takashi & Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Country Roads(Take me home) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108682
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Something like Natsume has to learn to cook for Naru, and they start searching for foods they like together  
> Natsu: Naruto, pass me the eggs  
> Smol Naru: here Nii-tan *pass the eggs

There they were again, both dressed in matching aprons. Their sleeves rolled up and golden and blonde strands were parted back with hair clips. Cooking was hard. Natsume had never thought it would be such an arduous task, after all Touko-san made it look as simple as breathing. But no, regulating the oven’s temperature was complicated, he always doubted how long to leave the food inside and when making desserts, lumps were his worst enemy. Let's not even talk about the seasonings and the proportions, even though Natsume followed the recipes very carefully, something always seemed to be wrong ... And everything got even more complicated with Naruto swarming around him.

  
  


Don't get him wrong, he loved that mischievous little whirlpool, but the blond kid was energetic and thunderous at the best of times. At his worst he was a right little hellion, though Natsume couldn’t blame the boy who had been attention starved during his most tender years…

  
  


The point was, it was the third time this week that they had ended up with stained clothes and the tips of their noses covered in flour. Yes, cooking was complicated, but little Naruto couldn't live on instant ramen and Natsume would take care that neither of them died from noodle overdose.

During their excursions to the kitchen, Takashi and the lil Uzumaki were in charge of finding all the cookbooks scattered around the house and look for a recipe (or a picture in the case of the youngest one) that they both found delicious and simple enough to make, so that they don’t explode anything in the attempt.

That was another thing… finding something the blond kid liked so much that he wouldn’t be begging for ramen was an impossible mission. Still, Natsume wasn’t giving up, they had managed to find that red bean soup Naruto liked so much after all.

  
  


Nyanko-Sensei came into the room padding over “Hey brats, when will you finish with the food? I’m hungry!…” trying his best to sound intimidating and scary, though he only succeeded in momentarily frightening Naruto. 

  
  


“Bad Nyanko-Sensei,” Natsume swatted the head of his cat lightly in reprimand. “Naruto, can you hand me an egg?”

  
  


“Here you go nii-san!” Naruto smiled his brightest smile. 

  
  


“Thanks, Naruto” Natsume responded absentmindedly smiling back as he stroked Naruto's soft blond hair, indicating that he was a good boy.

“Oi! Brats! Pay attention to me! You’re being all sappy…”

  
  


But Nyanko-Sensei’s words only lit a fire in Naruto. He wanted his older brother to never be sad, to always retain that smile that was on his face, never to be saddened by a frown again.

  
  


Natsume thought the same but opposite. _It’s nice to see him smile and be a kid again, anyone who wants to destroy that smile will have to get through me first_. Unbeknownst to him, at those thoughts he clenched his fists to the point where his nails started to go through his skin. 

  
  


The egg cracked

. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

As they ate breakfast, Naruto bounced up and down with excitement. “Ne, nii-san, nii-san, can we go to the park?” he asked sweetly. 

Takashi directed a small smile to Naruto. “Of course,” he replied, “but you’re going to need to eat more than just that… growing boys need their vegetables after all.”

At Takashi's words, Naruto made a face but scoffed down his remaining food. 

The boy wasn't a fan of veggies, having only been fed rotting ones before, but the boy’s thoughts were optimistic. _If Takashi says that they’re good I’ll eat them, and the sooner I finish eating, the sooner we can go to the park!_

* * *

The day was calm and pleasant, there was barely a slight breeze hovering through the city of Konoha, making the leaves of the trees dance and the hair tousle back and forth. All was not peaceful for poor Naruto, though. 

He was being chased back and forth by the same people who would torment him before he met his Nii-san, those dark days at the orphanage. Quickly, he ran up the stairs of the swirly-slide panting all the way. He almost slipped on a stair or two but the boy managed to get to the top. _Am I finally free of them?_ He thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by the voices of the people who he was trying to escape. 

He heard their shouts. Those evil shouts which tormented him in his sleep. 

But he was still out of breath -- unable to move forwards, to escape from their hatefulness.

“Get him! The demon’s up there!”

“Takashi, Takashi!” he cried, “Help me!” Naruto knew that he was right across the park, by the swings with his yokai friends-- but likely wouldn’t be able to reach the blonde little boy in time to ward off the jerks that were chasing him.

_”Hinoe,”_ he heard Takashi cry, exasperated with the villagers behavior, but not with Naruto, never with him, “keep him from falling, _please_.” 

All of a sudden, Naruto found himself no longer falling, but suspended in mid-air. The feeling was alien, he was literally floating! Though he couldn’t see her at the moment, he knew that one of Natsume’s friends was there. Muttering a quick “thank you”, Naruto got up from his seemingly impossible posture and continued to run to Natsume. 

“You really are a yokai!” one of the brats, as a drunk Nyanko-sensei would call them, shouted at Naruto.

Those words hurt, villagers were always so mean -- but he knew better now. He wasn’t a demon and even if he was, so what?! 

“My nii-san is friends with tons of yokai!” Naruto boasted, caught up in the heat of the moment. “But I’m not one of them. Like Hinoe, the one who saved me from all of _you_.” 

“He’s right you know.” The bullies could hear echoing laughter on the wind. 

“Where did he come from?!”

“Who cares, we should leave now!” 

“Yes, you should.” Natsume smiled from on top his perch on Misuzu, appearing as though he was but floating awkwardly in the air to those without the sight -- including to a happy Naruto.

At his words, the boys paled where they stood and ran off, completely frightened.

“Good riddance, putting up with people like that is below you, Natsume-dono,” Misuzu said. “They are below you as well, Naruto-kun.”

At his words, Natsume pouted. “Why do you call him _kun_ but me _dono_?”

“Because you hold my name, Natsume-dono.”

“I’m always willing to give it back…” How many times had they had this conversation before?

“Nonsense. Without me, who would protect you? That idiot bodyguard of yours?”

Naruto laughed at the stares Natsume directed Natsume’s way. _It’s better for them not to know the truth… if they did, they’d be in danger,_ he thought.

Natsme had told Naruto all about the exorcists after all, and how they might come after him. At the thought of the exorcists, Naruto clenched his fists tightly. _No one will ever take my big brother away from me_. He voiced his thoughts aloud, but all he got in return was a sad smile and a pat on the head.

“I know that Naruto, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…”

_It will never, I swear, Natsume-dono,_ Misuzu said aloud, making himself visible for a moment in order to be heard by all present. _As long as you and your brother live, I will protect you_.

And as he did so, Naruto knew that although his sleep would be better that night, he would still have the dark dreams of suffering and of the kid’s mean spirited words that tormented him at night… but he knew he would be safe when he woke up in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble originated from this plot bunny:  
>  **Natsu: doing something else  
>  Smol Boyo Naru: about to fall  
> Natsu: OH SH-  
> Hinoe: Catches him  
> Natsu: "Thanks Hinoe"  
> Everyone else: wtf?!**


End file.
